A general store on Norquay Avenue in Mariapolis, in the Municipality of Lorne, was built in 1914 by Calixte Landry (1863-1938), with assistance of bricklayers from Winnipeg. Landry built several other buildings in town, including the Mariapolis Hotel next door that was connected to the store by an underground tunnel. In 1927, operation of the store was taken over by Mathilda Van De Velde (1885-1966) and her family until 1933 when poor economic conditions during the Great Depression forced them to return it to Landry. In 1936, management was taken over by Adrien Landry (1902-1982), son of Calixte, as well as Adrien's wife Imelda Therrien (1906-1982) and her sister Minnie.
In 1968, the building and business were sold to farmer Leon Pouteau (1921-1990) and his wife Madeleine Brandt (?-?) who operated it until retirement in November 1989. Their sons Denis and Garnet, and Garnet's wife Jeannine, operated the store from 1989 to 2014. During their management, in the mid-1990s, the original white exterior was painted blue, then repainted in 2011. The store closed on 31 January 2014. Now vacant, the building is still owned by the Pouteau family.
Mariapolis General Store (circa 1927)
Source: Echoes of Our Heritage: Mariapolis and District, 1891-1991 by Mariapolis History Book Committee, 1991, page 73
Mariapolis General Store (August 2009)
Source: Ed Grassick
Mariapolis General Store (November 2010)
Source: Rose Kuzina
The former Mariapolis General Store (July 2018)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.36128, W98.99092
denoted by symbol on the map above
Marriage registration [Adrien Landry, Imelda Therrien], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registration [Calixte Landry], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
Obituary [Leon Pouteau], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 August 1990, page 53.
Echoes of Our Heritage: Mariapolis and District, 1891-1991 by Mariapolis History Book Committee, 1991.
We thank Ed Grassick, George Penner, and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Justin De Baets and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 January 2023
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